


before time left its mark on the universe

by lumiinary



Category: Mother 2: Gyiyg no Gyakushuu | EarthBound
Genre: Asexual Character, Bisexual Male Character, Childhood Friends, Friendship, Gen, Headcanon, Prophetic Visions, Stream of Consciousness, Visions, biromantic ace ness i guess, some npcs are there too, takes place before and at the beginning of the game
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-29
Updated: 2019-07-29
Packaged: 2020-07-25 22:13:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20033182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lumiinary/pseuds/lumiinary
Summary: In which Ness experiences visions of future occurrences before the events of EarthBound, as well as other things that were interrupted thanks to his adventure.





	before time left its mark on the universe

An unfamiliar world fades into view. Though in a way, it is familiar. It is the town of Onett, the town I have lived in my whole life. At least, my whole life up until this point. But something about it is… not too familiar. I'm standing in the middle of a street, surveying streaks of lining on the concrete. In the sky, there is a UFO, mainly portrayed in science fiction movies, moving along specific spots, swallowing anything up in its path. On the ground, there are monsters, possibly here to claim their new home. I realize that this is an invasion. All the residents are being driven out, with aliens and monsters waiting to take their place. Now, it’s my turn to be wiped out like the rest. 

I can hardly move. I don’t even have the strength to run. I remain placid where I stood, completely in shock. This isn’t meant to happen, right? Not now. Not before I could see my dad's face again, or get a girlfriend, or become a professional baseball player, or… anything else. I have no choice but to accept my fate, whatever that-

The world becomes bleak. A faint ringing sounds in my eardrums, and then… nothing. 

I spring upwards, waking up in a cold sweat. I swear I'm hyperventilating, my own hand resting itself near my chest. A few minutes pass, and I begin to calm down, recalling the memories. 

_ It was only a dream, Ness, calm down. Yeah, that's right, I need to calm down. _

But that is barely possible, as my alarm clock starts ringing by the time I wake up, filtering my thoughts. Oh yeah. I remember I have school this week. 

I rest an arm near my hand, already feeling tired, despite the many hours I slept. Despite that, I still manage to conjure these strange dreams whenever I fall asleep. Call them visions, if you will. They mainly start out the same: something about the apocalypse. Kinda like something you'd see in a sci-fi movie. Of course, aliens would come into play, tearing the streets and houses apart, abducting denizens with their spaceship and all. Hmm. Maybe I should stop watching sci-fi movies. Nah, maybe not. 

Although, that's not the only thing I would dream. Last week, it had something to do with a meteorite falling. But the only thing I saw was the meteorite itself, and not the process of it falling from the sky. I don't know what it all means. Or maybe it means nothing. I dunno. One thing's for sure, I always knew I was different. Yeah, I'm basically your average lookin’ kid, with an average lookin’ haircut, an average family, an average... everything. But something felt different about me. I don't completely understand it, however. Maybe it's just wishful thinking.

I turn on the light somewhat tiredly, indignantly thinking about the fact that I have to go to school. Normally, anybody would be muttering “five more minutes…” as somebody would be struggling to get them up, but me? I don't know how long before I stop having those strange dreams. Oh well. I might as well continue getting ready for school.

Still muddled from sleep and shaken from the dream, I reach feebly for the bureau, taking clothes out and setting them on my bed. I turn to a calendar I've had since September, now surveying the date. Only a few weeks till school's finally out. I've got so many plans that I could only do once school gets out, so I hope the days will be able to swiftly go by until then.

After finally putting clothes on, I reach for my red cap, which rested safely on the bureau. I look in the mirror only to rotate the cap a few degrees. To the side, to be more specific. That's how I like it, anyway. It makes me feel… cool, for whatever reason. 

I rush down the stairs, urging myself to at least eat mom's home-cooked steak before I leave. I end up doing so, as I talk to mom in the process. About school, life itself, anything else except those dreams. For some reason, I can't bring it in myself to tell her. I tell my mom _ everything _, but this subject in particular feels… too personal. 

She can probably tell by the tone of my voice, or the current look on my face that something is wrong. According to her, mothers understand these things. Sure, I believe her, but is it really true?

“Gotta go!” I begin to exclaim, soon realizing that I would be late for school if I stalled any further. “Bye, mom!” 

I see her walk outside as I ran out the door. She proceeds to wish me a good day at school, as all moms do. 

___

The bell rings, similar to how my alarm clock did when I woke up. Speaking of which, I still feel tired. I just have to suck it up, I guess.

First period. Oh, boy. I watch as a sea of children my age walk past my field of vision. On certain sides of the room stand two cliques. The first one is a group of boys, with girls on the other. I can barely hear what the two groups are saying, making me wish I knew how to lipread. A kid sitting next to me comments about a boy she likes, subtly pointing at him. Looking at him now, I can see why she liked him in the first place. 

Later, I see a boy remark about a girl, saying she’s way out of his league, and I could relate to how he was feeling. For some reason, I had the urge to say something, but last time I did that, I was berated. It was confusing, to say the least. They acted as if what I heard was all in my head. Maybe it was, I don’t know.

For the most part, these cliques usually talk about romance. Sometimes, it’s sex, the other asset that comes with love. Though I don’t think the two should be lumped together so lightly. It reminded me how one day, we had to watch a video about sex education. The thought of it made me feel sick, wondering how people can talk about it so casually. This probably makes me a prude at this point, though I can’t help but feel this way. 

You see, if it happens to be first period, around eight in the morning or so, and you’re completely drained because your own subconscious has you by the throat, it makes school so much more harder. That and a slight touch of ADHD. Well, it depends if you care about school or not (which I don’t). 

Spacing out is a common thing for me, and I often get scolded because of it. Sure, I know I can concentrate if I put my mind to it, but how will I be able to put my mind to anything else? I rest a hand near my cheek, mulling it over as I try my best to listen to the teacher’s ramblings. Later, my mind wanders, wondering if I have anything to do after school, such as playing baseball with friends, or maybe doing none of that and heading straight home. 

___

After seven hours of complete torture, I remembered how me and a couple of friends from the treehouse around town were planning to hang out, play baseball, and just do whatever. As I continue to think about it, I see someone familiar at the corner of my eye. I turn around to see Pokey walking behind me. I turn back, continue to stride forward. How long has it been since we’ve talked? Not that long, I suppose.

Pokey and I, we go way back. I remember when he first moved into that substantial house next to mine, and next thing you know, we managed to become friends. We mainly were interested in the same movies, and would sometimes have movie nights at my house until it was 3 AM on a school night and became too tired to do anything. Good times, huh? 

Unfortunately, we’ve kinda split apart thanks to his family falling apart due to poverty, at least from what I’ve heard. He also gets made fun a lot at school, which I can sorta relate to (with the exception that I am his only friend). One thing I definitely am sure about is his father beating the living daylights out of him and his brother. Sometimes, I think I can hear the sound of a belt reverberate, usually when I’m outside their house. That’s probably due to their father drinking though, or so I’ve heard. I also notice bruises on Pokey’s body, too. However, I feel as if nobody else notices. Or maybe they don’t care. Could go either way.

I finally turn around, and he stops. His eyes are concealed by his hair, but I can tell he’s looking at me. One eye on me, and I start to lose control. What to do, what to _ do _?

“Uh,” I manage to squeak, trying to recall old speech patterns. “Hey, Pokey… uh, how’s it been?” 

I manage to utter out the words, albeit awkwardly. It _ really _has been a while, huh?

“It’s been fine, I guess.” My old friend says in a somewhat fractious manner, though I know that isn’t the case. He’s not usually this shy, either. Mainly, he’d be the more talkative one, as his personality is a drastic contrast to mine. For the most part, I can only get in a few words!

Okay, we’ve managed to say a few words to each other. Maybe I should invite him to go hang out with me and my friends later?

“So my friends and I are planning to hang around after school, yanno, the kids at the treehouse? Yeah, well, we’re just going to prolly hang around there, find an open field, maybe play some baseball for a bit. I was just wondering if maybe you’d want to go with me?”

After a few seconds of silence, Pokey finally utters “sure.” I nod, telling him the time I’ll be there. We finally depart after those last few words. 

___

“C’mon, Ness, what were you thinking?” One of the boys blurt out when I told him about Pokey coming with us. “To invite Pokey Minch, of all people? Are you _ insane _ ? Don’t you remember the _ last _time you did that?” 

“He’s not that bad, I promise,” I assure him, “Besides, that time wasn’t even that bad.” 

“Yeah!” Another boy agrees. “Besides, any friend of Ness’s is a friend of mine.” I swore I could see him blushing after he said that, but that’s probably just me.

“Look, guys,” I start, “Pokey may have a few screws loose, but that doesn’t stop him from being a good person. Or a friend, for that matter.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” 

Finally, I watch as Pokey walks into the treehouse. His mood seems to have improved, compared to when I saw him last time. That’s good.

The first thing we did was play baseball. Pokey was on my team, which was a disadvantage on my part. He wasn’t exactly skilled in baseball as I was, and I expected nothing more from that. Either way, we managed to pull through and win. 

As far as I knew, Pokey wasn’t acting out of the ordinary at all. Sometimes, I have no idea what everyone at school is talking about. The only thing I’ve witnessed or experienced was him getting aggravated at other people, even going as far as to bully them. This caused him to have a more narcissistic demeanor. Although, I’m the only one so far who’s seen that side of him. People only care about the ‘weird’ sides of people so they can feel better about themselves.

A few more thoughts plagued my mind, which almost cost me the game. I kept reminding myself the whole time that the only reason I cling on to certain friend groups is because I’m too shy to talk to anyone else, which was only half true. The other thing was about my dad, whom I haven’t seen in, how long, six years? I can only recognize his voice on the phone, which explains how long he’s been gone. For years, he’d been promising that he’d be back, so he could see me, mom, Tracy and anyone else. Obviously, he broke that promise.

As for the first thought, making friends had been hard since elementary school. Sure, I was able to scrape by, but it was almost to a point where I had none. Had it not been for Pokey, and the kids at the treehouse, I would have been a goner. Shyness was part of it, however, and that had also become a barrier. This made the chance of me getting a girlfriend become slim to none. I _ do _remember confessing to a girl in my class and slipping up on my words, causing a misunderstanding. It’s honestly too weird for me to describe it, so I’m not going to say anything more about it. At this point, you can just interpret whatever. Apparently, I had been like this since I was a baby. Oh well. It’ll work itself soon, I guess.

As everyone starts to leave, I look at my skeptical friend in the eye and say, “See? I told you it wasn’t that bad.” 

“Sure,” He replies, watching the others pile out of the treehouse, “Y’know, you’re usually right about these things. That’s why you’re a leader, man.” With that being said, he left without a trace.

And yet the words still hold their meaning.

“...”

A leader, huh?

___

The sky is darkened, and a few lone stars glimmer in the sky. It’s another one of those dreams again. I know it is. This one, like the others, feels real. 

I look up at the sky and see something falling. It’s hard to make out, however, since it’s so far away. Something tells me to back away from it, or else it might try to kill me, whatever it is. So I do. 

My vision is blurring, the world around me becomes dreary. Am I waking up from the dream? For once, I didn’t want to, as I was curious to find out what the spherical thing in the air was. I continue to watch in suspense as it swiftly shifts forward, heart beating every second it did so.

It’s in front of my eyes now. Well, almost, since I got out of the way for safety reasons. It made me realize something. This _ thing _ was none other than a meteorite, a common prop in media and such. It must be connected with the dream I previously had. It all makes sense now!

The last thing I heard was a loud crash, and before I knew it, I was springing up in bed, back to reality. The first thing I did was look at my window, only to find the same thing that was haunting me in my dream: the meteorite.

I emerge from my bed, now wanting to see what this is about. Is it even possible for this to be happening, for something from a dream to now appear in real life? 

To prepare myself for anything dangerous that might cross my path, I get an old cracked bat from my sister Tracy’s room. She didn’t seem to mind it, fortunately. I walk steadily downstairs, telling mom what I was intending to do.

“Well, the least you can do is change out of your pajamas before you go.” was all my mom said. 

I did what I was asked, then ran out the door. 

The atmosphere is the same as it was in the dream. I shake my head, focusing on this ‘task’ at hand. I look around, noticing that the_ whole town _is in an uproar about it. I guess that makes sense.

I manage to go all the way up the hill, until I was stopped by the cops. One of them asked me to rid of Pokey for him, as he was being an annoyance to them. He then proceeded to ask if he was my friend, and I told him I was. That was the truth, right? 

When I decided to engage in a conversation with Pokey himself, he only told me not to be “rubberneckin,’ and that I was getting in the officer’s way. I decided not to bother on telling him that he was being a hypocrite, since I was tired and becoming irritated by his behavior. So it wasn’t just me who saw this side of him. 

The best thing I can do right now is head home. And so I did, promising myself to check out the meteorite in a few hours. I guess I _ could _catch up on a few hours of sleep, since that’s what I need most at the moment. 

___

A few hours later, I end up being shaken from sleep only to hear a boisterous knock at the door. I wearily stagger downstairs, opening the door. 

I’m somewhat surprised to see Pokey standing at my doorstep. It makes me wonder why he’s here, honestly. From what I can tell, he’s evidently petrified, but for what reason?

He starts telling me about how he and his brother Picky were about to see the meteorite, but a few minutes pass by, and Picky goes missing. He also flirts with my mom as he continues to tell me his story.

“Ness, I really don’t want to say this,” He adds, “But you’re the only one I can trust. Please help me find Picky!”

“Uhh, sure. Lemme just…” I reply as I walk back upstairs to change clothing once again. From behind, I hear Pokey flirting with my mom once more, and I sincerely hope he’s joking. 

After that awkward interaction, the two of us, along with King, my dog, set off to find Picky. I assume he’s near to where the meteorite landed, so I decide to head there. For some reason, all the animals seem to be going feral, causing them to charge right at us. I’m the only one who has a weapon, so I’m able to fight them off. Pokey, however, attempts to use me as a human shield in cowardice. King tries his best to fend them off, and I applaud him for that. 

Finally, we reach the top of the hill, and Picky is there, sitting near the meteorite. He’s probably sleeping, but I’m not too sure. Pokey and Picky have their moment, and Picky later remarks how he wonders who the real big brother is. I can understand where he’s coming from. 

Before we leave, however, I hear Pokey say something along the lines of, “Do you hear something that sounds like a bee flying around?”

I shake my head. I have no idea what he’s talking about. But then, listening more intently, I can. I turn to see something emerging out of the meteorite. It appears petite, similar to a bee or a fly. 

“A bee, I am… not.”

On that day, my life turned from what was seemingly average to something that would recklessly burn into the etches of my mind. This one event began to change my life, altering space and time as we know it. 


End file.
